Milwaukee City Wire

The mandate to wear a mask inside Milwaukee's public spaces ended this week. 

There are still places where masks are required, according to Fox 6. Milwaukee County Transit System riders must wear masks until at least March 18, the date when the federal mandate is set to expire. In addition, Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) will continue to require masks in MPS buildings. Medical facilities also require masks.

"It’s definitely a positive thing that we’re even having this discussion,” Dr. Dan Shirley from UW Health told Fox 6. “That means cases are low, hospitalizations are low.”

Shirley said people can still carry the coronavirus and should consider wearing masks to protect people at a higher risk.

"There still are certain people that have a higher risk if they were to get COVID-19," he said. "That is especially immunocompromised people and maybe the very young who haven’t had access to vaccines yet."

There are those like Becca Schilling, who plan to keep wearing masks for personal and professional reasons.  

“I wear my mask most of the time,” she said. “I also work in health care and take care of active COVID-19 patients. I feel like it is more my duty to wear a mask because I am at a higher risk of exposure. I don’t want to infect other people.”